A4 ghost highway: Why nature is taking this place back!

A4 ghost highway: Why nature is taking this place back!

A ghost highway in the middle of Germany: the once busy section of the A4 between Cologne and Aachen now rises like a lonely ruin from the shadows of the past. While the vehicles have been away since 2014, only a crumbling streetscape is a reminder of the former traffic. The disused part of the motorway is the result of a significant reconstruction that became necessary due to the expansion of the Hambach open-cast coal mine. The relocation over 17.6 kilometers cost around 180 to 190 million euros, financed by RWE and the federal government.

Deserted street with faded memories

Today, the abandoned stretch of road shows overgrown landscapes - roots break through the asphalt, and wild bushes wrap around the once clear lines of the highway. Although the roadways and bridges still exist, the signs have been removed and the sense of decay is evident. Visitors can only view the route from a distance as many areas are cordoned off. However, a look at Google Maps reveals the exact route.

But this ghost highway doesn't just have sad stories to tell. Since 2017, around 3,000 solar modules on a former A4 section near Niederzier have been ensuring that 210 households are supplied with electricity - a “solar highway” that should remain for the next 20 years. At the same time, the road is threatened with final destruction: part of the route will be excavated in 2025 in order to obtain material for the north wall of the opencast mine and to make room for the planned Manheim Bay of Lake Hambach. The old A4, a forgotten chapter in motorway history, will soon turn into dust.